Quick ribbon insert device



Sept. 30, 1958 R. J. YOUNG QUICK RIBBON INSERT DEVICE Filed Jan 6, 1955 INVENTOR. RICHARD J. YOUNG ATTORNEY QUICK RIBBON INSERT DEVICE Richard J. Young, Ponghkeepsie, N. Y., 'assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 6, 1955, Serial No. 480,170 4 Claims. (or. 191-151 This invention relates to typewriters and more particularly.to an improved ribbon installation device for a typewriter.

Typewriter inking ribbons now are installed in exactly the same way that they were back in 1898. More specifically, the operator takes an end of a ribbon from a full spool and pulls it through a plurality of ribbon guides till she reaches the empty spool whereupon she attaches the end of the ribbon to the empty spool usually by inserting a spike on the empty spool through an aperture that may be either forced in the fabric, or provided in a clip on the end of the typewriter ribbon. In either event, it is necessary for the operator to handle the ribbon in threading it through the ribbon guide along the ribbon path from the full to empty spool.

Accordingly, it is a first object of this invention to provide an'improved ribbon installation device, whereby an operator can install a ribbon without soiling her hands.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved ribbon inserting device operable in conjunction with a typewriter whereby the typist can pull an inking ribbon through the ribbon guides without having to touch the ribbon.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved ribbon installation device whereby a new -ribbon can be installed more rapidly than heretofore possible.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode which has been contemplated of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of ribbon spools and the guide path for a ribbon in a typewriter;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of an improved clip on the end of a typewriter ribbon;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the end of the clip;

Fig. 4 is a view of the clip taken on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a ribbon spool having the ribbon attached thereto.

Briefly, this invention relates to an improved inking ribbon installation device wherein a ribbon feed wire is spring biased into a rest position and the wire is provided with engaging means for a complementary clip attached to the end of an inking ribbon. so that the typist merely hooks the clip over the clip engaging means and pulls on the wire thereby threading the inking ribbon through the usual ribbon guides whereupon the ribbon clip is available for attachment to the empty spool.

Referring to the drawings, a typewriter 2 is shown as having a pair of brackets 4, 6 each supporting a ribbon spools, such as the full spool 8 and the empty spool 10. Basically, the spools are held in engagement with the frame by means of spring arms such as the one 12 shown for the empty spool 10. The frame is provided with the pair of corner ribbon guides 14, 16 and a center an guide 18 operable in a to printing engagement as the type bar is driven towards 2,854,121 Patented Sept. 30, 1958 2 well known fashion to be lifted a platen, not shown, but located behind the ribbon lift guide. Each ribbon guide is provided with an eye 20, 22, 24, 26, respectively, through which the ribbon is passed. Usually, the ribbon would be installed by manipulating it through slots 28, 30, 32, 34, respectively, in order to be properly positioned within the eyes of the ribbon guide devices. 7

In order to provide for the quick insertion of a typewriterribbon, a wire or thread-like element 36 is threaded through the ribbon guides 14, 16 and 18 and connected at one end to an arm 38 which is mounted on bracket 6.

The wire is stored on a spool carried by the housing 40, which in turn, is mounted on an arm 42 carried by the bracket 4. The spool, not shown, is any conventional form having a spring motor tending to rotate it counterclockwise so as to wind up the wire 36 about the spool and into the housing 40.v The wire or thread 36 is provided with a hook engaging means 44, which in one form, is a ball of solder secured to the wire 36 at some position just to the left of the corner ribbon guide 14.

An inking ribbon 46 has a clip 48 attached to one end thereof, which clip is provided with a complementary engaging means for receiving the ball 44. In the disclosed embodiment, the clip 48, which may be made of plastic or metal or any other suitable material, has dimensions permitting it to pass through the ribbon guides with no dimension being greater than the width of the flanges on a ribbon spool. Further, the clip 48 has a slot '51, as shown in the end view (Fig. 4) defined by the side walls 50, 52 which slot has an outer dimension great enough to accommodate the ball 44 in locking fashion. With this arrangement, the clip would be turned from its position shown in Fig. 1 so that the ball 44 could be inserted into the slot 51 whereupon the clip 48 would be removably attached to the wire 36. Then,

' by pulling on the opposite end of the wire 36 at the arm 38, the engaging means 44 would pull the clip 48 through the ribbon guides 14, 18 and 16 until the clip reached the arm 38. At this position, the clip 48 would be taken the clockwise winding of the empty spool 10, as-viewed in Fig. 1.

When the operator decided that the ribbon in use was no longer of value, she would wind it all on the spool 10 and then remove the spool 10 and discard it. She would then take the empty spool 8 and put it in the position of the spool 10 and fix the new or full spool (not shown) at the location of spool 8 in Fig. l whereupon she can repeat the ribbon inserting process.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention, as applied to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicatedby the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a typwriter having ribbon aligning guides, and

I an inking ribbon which is movable through said aligning through said ribbon guides in succession and attached to said anchor post, and inking ribbon engaging means positioned on said wire between said spool and the nearest one of said ribbon guides when said wire is in its rest position whereby after a ribbon has been engaged by said engaging means the wire may be moved to its actuated position wherein said'engaging means has been pulled through all of said aligning guides thereby automatically threading said inking ribbon through said same guides.

2. In a typewriter having ribbon aligning guides, and an inking ribbon movable through said aligning guides from one spool to-another across a printing position, an improved quick insert ribbon combination comprising a spool of wire-like material mounted on said typewriter on one side of all of said aligning guides, an anchor post mounted on said typewriter on the opposite side of said aligning guides, spring means normally biasing said spool in a winding direction to tension-said wire to a rest position wherein a portion of said wire is strung through all of said ribbon guides in succession and attached to said anchor post, and inking ribbon engaging means positioned on said wire between said spool and the nearest one of said aligning guides when said wire is in its rest position whereby after a ribbon has been engaged by said engaging means the wire may be moved to an actuated position wherein said engaging means has been pulled through all of said aligning guides thereby automatically threading said inking ribbon through said same guides, said spool biasing means acting to return said wireto its normal position after the ribbon has been disengaged from the engaging means.

3. In a typewriter having ribbon aligning guides, and an inking ribbon which is led by said ribbon aligning guides from one spool to another, an improved quick 4 insert ribboncombination comprising a'spool of wirelike material mounted on said P writer at one side of said guides, an anchor post mounted on said typewriter on the opposite side of said guides, spring meansnormally biasing said spool in a winding direction to tension a portion of said wire to a rest position wherein all of a portion of said wire is strung through said ribbon guides and attached to said anchor post, a clip engaging means positioned on said wire and located normally between said wire spool and the nearest one of said ribbon guides, and a complementary clip on said ribbon, whereby after said clip has been booked to said engaging means, the wire may be moved to an actuated position wherein said clip engaging means and consequently said ribbon clip have been pulled through all of said aligning guides.

4. In a typewriter having ribbon aligning guides, a ribbon feed spool, a ribbon take up spool having a cylindrical shaft defining an aperture and a ribbon prong, and an inking ribbon which is led via said ribbon aligning guides from said feedspool to said take up spool an improved quick insert ribbon. combination comprisinga spool having a thread-like element wound thereon, said spool mounted 'on said typewriter at one side of said guides, an anchor post mounted on said typewriter on the opposite side of said guides, spring means normally biasing said spool in a winding direction to tension a portion of said thread-like element which is strung through said ribbon guides and attached to said anchor post, a

clip engaging means positioned on-said thread-like element and located normally between said last mentioned spool and the-nearest one of said ribbon guides, a complementary clip onsaid ribbon, whereby after said clip has been hooked on to said engaging means the threadlike element may be moved to an actuated position wherein said clip engaging means and consequently said ribbon clip have been pulled through all of said aligning guides, said ribbon further having spool prong engaging means therein for engaging the complementary prong on the ribbon take up spool after said ribbon .clip has been dropped into said take up spool aperture.

No references cited. 

